Two Southdown Avenue: 8 months in.

The build is going well. Fingers well crossed, I'm hoping that the worst of the dramas are over now t the basement problems are solved and there will be no more nail bitingly expensive surprises. The timber frame above ground structure is well on the way to being completed. It was nailed together , using 4 inch long nails launched into the timber with a gas gun. Once this was done, an insulating layer of 2inch thick wood fibre board was attached, followed by a covering of waterproofing material, and then completely clad in timber . The last layer will be dark grey/blue zinc roofing which will extend down to the top of the ground floor. It should have been on by Christmas, but delivery has been delayed for some reason not clearly specified by the Contractor (my guess is they forgot to order it) Still, the build will be fully waterproof so it's not really important.

I've been instructed by the builders to decide on bathroom tiles and fittings (by tomorrow) Not much chance of that. It's not at all easy when there are only wall- less spaces to imagine a bathroom in. This task might be heaven for someone who likes shopping, but that someone isn't me.

Issie, architect's assistant

It began to look like a giant cardboard box

Now it looks like a wooden box , all timber clad and waiting for zinc

By negotiating the scaffolding and using the internal temporary stairs while wearing a hard hat it's now possible to get inside the structure and gain a feel for the internal layout and dimensions.

Ground floor (north west)

Ground floor (east)

The small 'concrete garden' (south east)

The 'concrete garden' with raised beds for planting (north east) Above the concrete can be seen the garden wall, the bottom of which was previous level of the garden before the build. This shows just how much chalk has been excavated. There is another floor below this - the basement- which will soon be revealed.